The Complete Guide to Conic Sections on ACT Math

The Complete Guide to Conic Sections on ACT Math SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You will usually see one conic section question (though no more than one) on any given ACT, but just what is a conic section and how do you solve it? Luckily for us, though conic section questions are rare, they are generally straightforward and can get you an easy point if you take a few minutes to study them. This will be your complete guide to conic sections- what they are, how you'll see them on the test, and the best way to approach these types of ACT math questions. What Are Conic Sections? A conic section is any intersection of a cone (a three dimensional figure) and a plane (a flat, infinite surface). Depending on how the plane slices the cone, the intersection will create: A circle A parabola An ellipse A hyperbola Picture: Magister Mathematicae/Wikimedia For the ACT, you will only need to know about circles and parabolas. And the only parabola knowledge you'll need are covered by your quadratic functions. The ACT will never test you on ellipses or hyperbolas. What You'll Need to Know About Conic Sections The only piece of information you really need to understand to master conic sections on the ACT is the equation of a circle. Every ACT conic section question will ask you information about this equation and you must either find the proper equation from given information or identify the individual pieces that make up this equation. Equation of a Circle $$(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2 = r^2$$ This is the equation of a circle. $h$ and $k$ are the coordinates for the center of the circle. $h$ stands in place of the $x$-coordinate and $k$stands in place of the $y$-coordinate. The center will, therefore, be at $(h, k)$. $r$ is the radius of the circle. â™ ª Love (and the equation of a circle) is all you need. â™ ª Picture: byronv2/Flickr Typical ACT Conic Section Questions Though you will only have to know the equation of a circle to solve your conic section questions, you may see conic section questions in a few different ways- as a word problem, as a diagram problem, and/or as a scenario problem. But no matter their form, it should be pretty straightforward to solve the problem if you remember your formula. Let's look at a typical ACT conic section problem. We can see, based on the graph, that our center coordinates for our circle are $(4, 0)$. This means that we can count from the circumference to the center to find that our radius is also 4. So if we replace these values with our $(h, k)$ and our $r$ in the equation for a circle, we would get: $(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2 = r^2$ $(x - 4)^2 + (y - 0)^2 = 4^2$ $(x - 4)^2 + y^2 = 16$ This means that our final answer is G. ACT Math Strategies for Conic Section Questions Though conic sections are generally fairly simple, you will be able to solve them more easily if you use strategy (especially if you forget your key information on test day). #1: Prioritize Your Time and Energy Conic sections are one of the least common ACT math topics. This type of question may or may not show up on your ACT, and even if it does, there will only be one question on circle equations per test. Though it is not a guarantee that you will see it, it is a useful formula for you to know if you're trying for every last math point. #2: Memorize the Circle Formula If you're going for every last point, then be sure to memorize your circle formula. On every ACT conic section question, you will be given a string of answer choices that all look incredibly similar. This is to muddy the waters for anyone who only has a passing recollection (or no recollection) of the formula. Your best bet for a near guaranteed point on all conic section questions is to simply memorize the formula and quiz yourself on it before test day to make sure you have it down. #3: Alternatively, Remember Just a Piece of the Formula and Guess Strategically If you're worried for any reason that you'll forget your formula or if you would just rather spend your time memorizing more common ACT math formulas like slopes and angles, then even remembering a piece of the circle formula is better than not memorizing any part of it at all. For instance, if you don't remember the $(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2$ side of the formula, but you do remember that the other side is the radius squared (and not just the radius), you will often be able to eliminate two or three answer choices. Now you have between a 33% and a 50% of guessing the right answer, which is certainly better than a 20% blind guess. So pick just a piece of the circle formula and commit it to heart, even if you can't or won't for any reason memorize the whole thing. Ready to show 'em what you got? Test Your Knowledge So let's put your knowledge to the test on real ACT math problems about conic sections. 1. 2. 3. If a circle has a circumference that is tangent to the origin and a midpoint at $(0, -7)$, which of the following is the equation of that circle? A. $x^2 + (y - 7)^2 = 49$B. $x ^2 + (y + 7)^2 = 49$C. $(x - 7)^2 - y^2 = 49$D. $(x - 7)^2 + y^2 = 7$E. $x^2 - y^2 = 7$ Answers: E, F, B Answer Explanations: 1. For this problem, we know that our circle's midpoint is at the origin, which gives it the coordinates $(0,0)$. We can also see that the radius of the circle is 52. That means that our circle formula will be: $(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2 = r^2$ $(x - 0)^2 + (y - 0)^2 = 52^2$ $x^2 + y^2 = 52^2$ Our final answer is E, $x^2 + y^2 = 52^2$ 2. For this question, we are actually working backwards, but the principle of the circle formula hold true. We must simply use the values we are given and reverse engineer them to find what we need. We know that our circle formula is: $(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2 = r^2$ If our equation is then: $(x - 5)^2 + y ^2 = 38$, then we know that the radius must be the square root of 38 and the midpoint must be $(5, 0)$. Our final answer is F. 3. As usual when working without a diagram, let's draw a quick sketch of the scene. We know that the midpoint is at $(0, -7)$ and the circle is tangent to the origin, so this is the circle we're dealing with. We know that the radius is, therefore, 7 and we can plug the midpoint values into our equation. $(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2 = r^2$ $(x - 0)^2 + (y - -7)^2 = 7^2$ $x^2 + (y + 7)^2 = 49$ Our final answer is B, $x^2 + (y + 7)^2 = 49$ The Take-Aways Though conic section questions are relatively rare, if you're going for every last point, it's a good idea to memorize your circle formula (or even just a piece of it) for a quick point. You will never be asked to do more than identify it when you see it or to identify its pieces, so go ahead and grab it if you can. What's Next? Want to brush up on any of your other math topics? Check out our individual math guides to get the walk-through on each and every topic on the ACT math test. You should also be sure to take a look at our articles on how to complete the square and the four different graph quadrants. Worried what the Ivy Leagues think of the ACT? Learn how some of the top schools in the United States feel about the ACT vs. the SAT. Running out of time on the ACT math section? We'll teach you how to beat the clock and maximize your ACT math score. Trying to get a perfect score? Check out our guide to getting a perfect 36 on ACT math, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Social Networking and Whether It Helps Create a Utopian or Dystopian Essay

Social Networking and Whether It Helps Create a Utopian or Dystopian Society - Essay Example 1. Body A. Utopian society B. Dystopia society 2. Analysis and evaluation 3. Definitions Conclusion: In conclusion, social networking plays a big role in shaping responses to situations and understanding between people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. It has made it possible to sell ideologies and get new perspective on any issue discussed. Introduction The introduction of social networking sites in the internet have had mixed reactions from scholars and individuals. Though philosophical analysts believe that the production of individuals in work places has reduced drastically, there are those on the view that the sites bring new, constructive ideas through interaction. The sites are believed to have brought a utopia society. As defined by Michael et. al., utopia refers to an ideal or a visionary world of political, social, and economic perfection (10). The resultant utopian society is one that achieves absolute harmony and happiness through exercising of perfect conside rations for people to live by. Dystopia refers to the complete opposite of utopia characterised by extremely fearful and dehumanizing conditions. It follows that a dystopian society is one characterised by lack of basic freedom, misery, and widespread discrimination based on race, sex, intellect or any other disparities that exist in societies. Wars, natural and anthropogenic calamities, overpopulation, scarcity of resources, high levels of crime and occurrence of epidemics bring about dystopia, whether in isolation or a combination of two or more. The two are mutually exclusive in that the presence of one automatically rules out the other. A classic example of this relation between the two is the attempt by the German leader, Adolf Hitler, to create a utopian society constituting a super race, which backfired in to a dystopian society for the discriminated minorities. A utopian or dystopian society at the global level results from localized small communities that facilitate interac tion of people with similar goals of unity and harmonious co-existence or the lack of it. Leaders across board strive to form societies that uphold basic human freedoms; exercise democracy in decision-making, equality between sexes, races, and different persuasions, fairness in resource distribution and environmental sustainability among others to make the world an oasis of peace for all. This implies that people exercise greater control of their actions than they do currently; cooperate in organizing and undertaking activities that affect others and the environment. This is contrary to current capitalist and communist systems practised, in which the elite have complete control over poor whom they exploit for economic gains. Education is a basic ingredient of utopia; learners should be encouraged to carry on with their interests in order to fully explore and develop their criticality in thinking. Political leadership and governance would be expected to change to an egalitarian syste m in which people organise themselves voluntarily to manage vital institutions without coercive and hierarchical structures. Encouraging basic science and technology with priority to appropriate application and careful understanding of its implications on the ecology before adoption is another tenet of utopianism. Other features include practice of equality between sexes, exercise of great control over individual contact and tolerance to the highest

In what cases is U.S. military intervention in other countries Research Paper

In what cases is U.S. military intervention in other countries justifiable In what cases is it not - Research Paper Example In any case, America is fighting with other countries all the time one way or other. It is difficult to justify all these wars conducted by United States. The Afghanistan war can be justified up to certain extent because of the brutalities committed by the Muslim fundamentalist group Taliban. Moreover, America has support from the existing Afghanistan political regime in destroying Talibanism from Afghan soil. However, same thing cannot be said about the recent Iraq war. It was conducted against the will of the political administration in Iraq. Moreover, the reasons cited for attacking Iraq were rejected by other countries. The theory of weapons of mass destruction was indigestible to other countries. America is still struggling to justify Iraq war since they failed to seize any weapons of mass destruction from Iraq. This paper analyses in what cases is U.S. military intervention in other countries is justifiable and in what cases is it not. On March 20, 2003 America with the help of its allies attacked Iraq, accusing Iraq for the possession of illegal chemical, biological and nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, America explained to the world that the possession of such serious weapons may cause immense threat to the global peace. However, even after the execution of Saddam Hussein, American troops failed to seize any such weapons from Iraqi soil. ... It is illegal to attack a country for exploiting its natural resources. Sovereignty of a country should be respected in order to keep global peace intact. It is fact that most of the Middle Eastern countries including Iraq were administered by some dictators. However, spreading of democracy through war cannot be justified under any circumstances. Bush Jr. spent billions of dollars just for saving the pride of his father. The current financial crisis is believed to be the by-product of Iraq war. In other words, Iraq war not only affected the Iraqi people, but it affected the Americans also. Many of the American soldiers sacrificed their lives in Iraq in their efforts to bring peace back in Iraq. The cost of Iraq war can be better analyzed with the help of following illustration. (Cost of Iraq War and Nation Building) â€Å"According to an article by Stephen Gowans, the US command knowingly violated Article 54 of the Geneva Convention which prohibits any country from undermining objec ts indispensable to the survival of (another country's) civilian population" (Abuelo). Iraq war resulted in large scale looting and criminal disorder, especially in Baghdad and Basra. Coalition forces were quite unable to maintain public order and the Iraqi police forces largely withdrew from the major centers of population (Rogers, p.13). In other words, the coalition forces failed to keep their word they given to the external world; a peaceful Iraq without Saddam. In short, Iraq war or America’s intervention in Iraq could not be justified under any circumstances. The reasons cited for the wars were illogical and Americans forced pay big prices for this war in the form of big expenditure and the sacrifice of the lives of many of its people.

Physical Therapist Report Essay Example for Free

Physical Therapist Report Essay The career I’m most interested in is Physical Therapy. Physical Therapy is Rehabilitation concerned with the restoration of function and prevention of physical disability following disease, injury or loss of body parts. (www. emonetwork. org/terms. asp) Physical Therapist have a very direct relationship with their patients and work with them over a period of time to help them become more mobile. There are numerous reasons why I want to become a physical therapist. Science, since I can remember, has always been my favorite and best subject in school. It’s what I find the most interesting and learn the easiest. Life Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are all courses I have enjoyed taking. I’ve always known I was going to do something in the Healthcare Profession as a career but I never knew what until recently. I chose physical therapy because its not as much school as a doctor would go through, it’s great pay, you get to help patients live a better life, you get a lot of benefits including health insurance, and employment is expected to grow much faster then the average. Physical therapist earn an average salary of $70,000. They also get paid vacations. Helping people everyday and watching them progress is something I would enjoy doing in life. Physical therapist spend about seven years in school total depending on how long it takes you to complete your undergraduate degree. After completing your undergraduate degree you would have to go through an accredited Physical therapist graduate school, which takes about three years. I plan on going either to Sonoma State University or CSU East Bay to complete my undergraduate degree in kinesiology. After that I want to go to graduate school at the University of California San Francisco. Where: After I complete my Masters and become a licensed physical therapist I want to move to Southern California and work in a hospital down there. After a few years I want to open my own physical therapy business and be self-employed in my own private practice.

Wage Discrimination against Women Essay -- Expository Exemplification

  Ã‚   The Women’s Equal Rights Movement has made dramatic progress in the last one hundred years. As a result, a woman can now vote, choose almost any career, and defend her human right to happiness. But, in spite of the progress made in the area of equal rights, wage problems in the workplace still exist which deny women equal pay for equal work.    SUCCESSES Women are closing the gender gap in workplace and higher education. They are starting to climb the corporate ladder and are moving into managerial positions. Forty-three percent of managers are women today as opposed to the nineteen percent who were managers in 1970 ("Almost, But Not Quite, Equal" 1). Women are also receiving a higher level of education. They earned forty-five percent of the law degrees in 1994 compared to eight percent in 1972. Education is an important contributing factor to the progress being made in reducing the discrepancy in wages between genders. With women becoming better educated than 20 years ago, potential for a higher salary is greater. Today, women earn fifty percent of all college degrees and forty percent of all medical degrees. It is, perhaps, because of education that women’s wages grew, on average, twenty percent faster than men’s from 1920-1980 (Clark 174). The situation is not that fewer men have been attending college, but that a gr eater number of women are able, encouraged and willing to take the next step in education than ever before.    PROBLEMS Despite all that has been accomplished, wage equality between men and women has not yet been reached. Overall, women only earn 74% of what men do in America (Equal Pay). In the higher job positions, with higher wages, there is a lack of female presence. An example of ... ... themselves need to realize what can be accomplished and what blocks the way. And then with those complications resolved, women stand a better chance of receiving equal pay for equal work. Works Cited "Across Globe, Women Earn Less." The Des Moines Register 30 July 1996, sec. Business: 10. "Almost, But Not Quite, Equal." US News & World Report 13 Jan. 1997: 1.    "Clark, Charles S., et al. "Feminism’s Future." CQ Researcher 28 Feb. 1997: 169-192 "Equal Opportunity?" Glamour Aug. 1996: 92.    Equal Pay. Home page. Mar. 1998. Feminist Women’s Health Center http://www.fwhc.org/equalpay.htm Hankin, Joseph N., "The Gains Working Women Have Made." Vital Speeches of the Day 1 Dec. 1996: 113-115.    Koretz, Gene. "But What of the Wage Gap?" Business Week 23 Oct. 1997. 11 Oct. 1999. http://www.businessweek.com/1997/44/b3551078.htm   

Company overview

British petroleum (BP) is one of the largest energy companies dealing in fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petroleum products. The company’s international headquarters is in London. The company has operations in more than 100 countries and employs over 96,000 people. The company has products under the BP, Castrol, Arco, am/pm, and Wild Bean Cafe brand (BPplc, About Bp, 2009). The company operates under two major business segments; exploration and production, refining and marketing and BP alternative energy.The company basically finds, extract, move oil and gas. The company also makes fuels and products, sells fuels and products as well as generating low carbon energy in a responsible way. The company operates in six continents; South America, North America, Europe, Australasia, Asia and Africa (Vault. com, 2009). BP is also well known for its innovative technology which aims at providing energy to meet the customers demand through efficien t products. Investing in low carbon energy is also another option that the company is exploring (BPplc, About Bp, 2009). Strategic auditThe strategic audit of a corporation is an eight step process that generally encompasses a holistic analysis of the company. The basic aim in strategic audit is to establish the current position which will help the company chart the way forward. A strategic audit helps the company to formulate strategies and select the best strategic alternative(s) for implementation. The first step is the analysis of the current situation. This involves the audit of the current performance and strategic posture. Current performance is evaluated in terms of profitability, market share, and return on investment.Strategic posture looks at the mission, objectives, strategies and policies (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). The second step is a look at the corporate governance. This means analysis of the board of directors and top management in terms of their str ucture, names and contribution to the company Scanning the external environment for opportunities and threats is the next step of a strategic audit. Under this stage, the company looks at the societal environment, task environment and finally listing all the above factors.The next step is the analysis of the internal environment i. e. strengths and weaknesses. Here, the corporate structure, culture, resources (marketing, finance, research and development, operations and logistics, human resource management and information systems) is looked into. A summary of these factors is then prepared (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). After looking at the external and internal environments, the company then analyses its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).These are then linked to the company’s mission and objectives to establish any relevance. The next step of the strategic audit is the analysis of the strategic alternatives in order to select the best strate gy (ies) to be recommended. The recommendation should be justified by looking at the potential, changes and impacts of the strategy. After making the recommendations, the next step is the implementation of the proposed strategy (ies). The implementation will include assigning duties on who is to develop these strategies. The financial aspect and operating procedures should be analyzed.The last step of the strategic audit is the evaluation and control. Evaluation and control involves a look at the current information system i. e. whether it can provide sufficient feedback and whether there are enough controls (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). Strategic Alternatives In formulating the best strategic alternatives, the company has to consider the economic, socio-cultural, political-legal, technological and financial strengths and challenges facing the company. Economic environment This involves looking at the economic environment.The company operates in an industry that has oth er large companies e. g. Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Total and other smaller companies. All these companies have the resources and technical ability to compete at the same level as BP Plc. This is why the company has focused on cost reduction through measures like staff reduction and efficient production. The company has also focused on alternative energy e. g. solar and wind. This is as a result of the challenging operating environment where there has been a growing shift to green energy that has minimal pollution.In an industry faced with rising production costs, the company has been on track by focusing on means and ways of reducing their costs. The focus has been on reducing the number of staff and reducing the number of senior positions in the company by 20%. This strategy has borne fruit with the flattening of the cost curve of the company while those of the competitors keep on rising. The company’s focus on new technologies has resulted into improved production capaci ty. In fact the overall production trend for all the major companies has been declining. BP Plc.has defied this trend by increasing its production in the year 2007-2008. The technology used by the company includes Advanced Gas Injection and Water flood technologies that have enabled the company to push the limits of the reservoirs. The drop in oil prices means declining revenues. In order to increase revenues, the company has focused on reducing the performance gap by restoring revenues in areas like Toledo, improving supply optimization in petrochemical and marketing. The company area of focus for petrochemicals is Asia where there is rising demand. The company has also established value chains for its fuel production.Value chains are those activities that create value from the supply to the final delivery to the consumer. This has been achieved through integrated supply and trading which has lead to more revenues. In a bid to increase its oil reserves, the company has also partner ed with TNK of Russia. The partnership has resulted in 30% increase in production. Socio-cultural The company has tried to endear itself to the community in which it operates. BP achieves this through training and employing local staff at all levels. The aim here is to be a local company by creating partnerships with the local community.BP strategic aim is to reduce the levels of resistance to its operations by avoiding cultural conflicts as well as social effects. The company has entered into partnerships with the local community in terms of education, encouraging enterprise, fostering good governance, partnership in public health, access to energy, giving and volunteering, safeguarding human rights, as well as development through community case studies. All these activities are targeted at enhancing and fostering the relationship between the company and all the community in which it operates thus reducing conflicts between the community and the company.Political-legal Some of the challenges that the company could face are the political/ legal. This is because the company has operations in many countries that may be subject to political instability. To mitigate this, the company has formed partnerships with local companies and thus reduces resistance towards the company consequently the company is able to increase its operations and revenues. Rigid legal regimes concerning the operations of foreign companies may negatively impact the operations of the company. The company has reduced this by engaging in partnerships with local companies.Taxation and licensing may vary from country to country. This may have negative impacts on the company’s operations. Exploration and production rights may not be granted to the company. BP has overcome this challenge by partnering with the governments of respective countries through agreements. Technological In a bid to improve its operations and increase productivity, the company has adopted innovative technologies. So me of these technologies include the Bright water which uses new inter-well polymer treatment which ultimately improves water flood Recovery.The Company has focused on technology to come up with innovative approaches that can increase production as well as solve energy challenges Financial information BP plc has been able to grow its net income by 39% to $26. 2 billion which is the highest growth rate registered by major energy companies. Cash flow from operations also grew 54% to $ 38. 1 billion on a year on year percentage basis. The company was also the only super major to register growth in reported volumes in new reserves. The company registered a growth of 1% on year on year percentage basis. Apart from operations, the company utilizes debt to finance its activities.The debt is at the rate of 20-30%. All these financial data indicates that the company is focused on growth by efficiently using its cash resources to generate more sales and improve on the shareholders wealth by e ngaging in share buy backs. Recommended strategy Based on the analysis of all the above factors, some of the available strategies are; – Cost reduction strategies – Alternative energy by diversification – Focus on growing markets growth – Creating value on existing products – Partnership to grow – Technology leadership – Continuous improvement These strategies can be broadly classified into two directional i.e. growth and retrenchment strategies. The company can utilize the growth strategies in its upstream segment (exploration and production) and retrenchment strategies on its down stream business (refining, convenience, refining) (Wheelen, 2006) Implementation of the strategy Strategy implementation involves all the activities and choices that are required for the execution of a strategy. The implementation process basically deciding who is to carry out the plan what must be done and how are the selected people selected to carry out the strategic plan going to do it (Wheelen, 2006).These strategies are normally executed by various heads of business segments subordinated by other employees within the business segments. This has been done through budget allocations, programs that indicate the time frame in which the various strategies need to be implemented and the use of procedures e. g. the Operating Management System that covers employee capabilities to risk assessment. Some of the programs used by the company are those of closing the performance gap which runs from 2008 to 2011, and the reduction of the number of employees in refining and marketing from mid 2007 to the end of 2009 by 3,500.After deciding on who and what must be done, the company must decide on how the strategy is going to be implemented. How a strategy is to be implemented might involve developing new organizational structure. For BP plc, to implement some of its strategies, the company has decided to eliminate certain senior and junior posi tions. Evaluation and control This is the process by which a company can monitor its corporate activities and performance results in order to compare the actual performance with the desired performance. Evaluation and control provides a feedback mechanism where corrective measures can be taken where necessary (Wheelen, 2006)Evaluation and control can be summarized into the following 5 steps – Determine what to measure – Establish standards of performance – Measure actual performance – Compare actual performance with the standards – Take corrective action The company has set out plans to reduce costs and improve on efficiency on its operations. The company wants to grow its upstream business (exploration and production) while at the same time turning around its downstream business. Upstream business growth is measured by growth in reserves, increased replacement percentage, and getting more out of reservoirs.Downstream business is to be improved thr ough cost reduction by restructuring the company’s operations e. g. by downsizing and recapitalizations Improved bottom-line, high reserve replacement percentages, efficient operations, growth in reserves are some of the standards of performance that the company uses to gauge performance. Actual performance is measured at specified times e. g. for BP plc, restoring revenues from refining performance, improved supply optimization and margin capture in petrochemical and marketing has a time frame of 2008-2011The comparison of actual performance against standard performance has to be done in order to establish the current position for example in 2008; the production grew 1. 5% while the replacement reserve was 136% which was more than the minimum 100% replacement. If the actual performance does not match the expected results, then corrective action needs to be taken. An example is the restoration of capacities in Texas City so as to boost refining and consequently revenues. Refe rences BPplc. (2009, March 3rd). 2009 Strategy presentation. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Bp. com: http://www. bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/I/IC_bp_strategy_presentation_march_2009_script. pdf BPplc. (2009, March 3rd). About Bp. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Bp. com: http://www. bp. com/marketingsection. do? categoryId=2&contentId=7013628 Vault. com. (2009, April 14th). Indusrty Overview. Oil and Gas. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Vault. com: http://www. vault. com/nr/main_article_detail. jsp? article_id=22843159&cat_id=0&ht_type=7. Wheelen, J. D. (2006). Essentials of Strategic Mnagement. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009)

The Case Of A Complaining Customer - Executive Summary

The Case Of A Complaining Customer Executive Summary Presto Cleaners is Mr Shelton s regularly used laundrette, he feels that although their prices are more than local competitors, the friendly staff, longer opening hours and convenience makes up for this. This opinion has now changed following recent events. Mr Shelton drops off hes laundry for a service clean, and when he arrives at the store to collect it he s was informed that a new computer system has been installed and this is to improve services for customers. Unfortunately when Mr Shelton arrives at the store a few days later, he s informed that his laundry had been misplaced! The store carry out a thorough search of the store and it becomes apparent that the laundry†¦show more content†¦ Goal 1: Set up a continuous improvement program, develop a TQM. Goal 2: Refer to theorists to help develop business plans. Drucker’s Theory of Business – in brief Drucker characterizes the assumptions that comprise an organization’s Theory of Business by stating:â€Å"These assumptions are about markets. They are about identifying customers and competitors, their values and behavior. They are about technology and its dynamics, about a company’s strengths and weaknesses. These assumptions are about what a company gets paid for. They are what I call a company’s theory of the business. . . . . . A well-articulated Theory of Business helps organizations understand what to do.† Drucker lists four specifications for an organization’s Theory of its Business:1. The assumptions about environment, mission, and core competencies must fit reality.2. The assumptions in all three areas have to fit one another.3. The theory of the business has to be tested constantly.4. The theory of the business must be known and understood throughout the organization. Goal 3: cOMPANY TO LOOK AT LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGICAL PLANNING Refering to Baldridge. 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INTRODUCTION   Ã‚   3. QUESTION 1   Ã‚   4. QUESTION 2   Ã‚   5. QUESTION 3   Ã‚   6. QUESTION 4   Ã‚   7. CONCLUSION   Ã‚   8. BIBLIOGRAPHY   Ã‚   1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | The lack of support from top leadership on The Trophy project compounded Reinhart’s problems and made managing the project a completeRead MoreThe Trophy Project3158 Words   |  13 Pages[pic] TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2. INTRODUCTION 3. QUESTION 1 4. QUESTION 2 5. QUESTION 3 6. QUESTION 4 7. CONCLUSION 8. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The lack of support from top leadership on The Trophy project compounded Reinhart’s problems and made managing the project a complete nightmare. This was also mainly due to the fact that there was no business case formulated for this project. 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